HC stays Gafargaon Pourasava polls for three months

The High Court yesterday stayed the process of Gafargaon Pourasava election, which is scheduled for December 30, for next three months due to complexity in demarcating the area of the municipality.

Responding to a writ petition filed by some voters of Mymensingh's Gafargaon union including Mohammad Ali, the court ordered the authorities concerned of the Election Commission and the government to immediately take steps to include the whole Gafargaon union in Gafargaon municipality.

It also issued a rule asking the authorities to explain in four weeks why the election schedule should not be declared illegal.

The writ petitioners earlier applied to the authorities concerned of the EC and the government to include the major part of the union which was excluded during demarcation of Gafargaon municipality, but they did not respond, said petitioners' lawyer Yusuf Hossain Humayun.

The petitioners prayed to the HC to stay the election and to order the authorities to include the names of voters of Gafargaon union for the municipality polls.

Yesterday, chamber judge of the Appellate Division Justice M Imman Ali stayed for six weeks an HC order that ordered the EC to allow BNP's mayoral candidate Sarwarul Abedin to contest the election to Changarchar Pourasava in Chandpur.

Following the stay order, Awami League's candidate Rafiqul Alam will be declared elected uncontested, said Sarwarul's lawyer Khandker Mahbub Hossain.

In another order, the HC yesterday ordered the EC to allow independent mayoral candidate Altaf Hossan to contest Betagi Pourasava in Borguna.